Do We Know Him? - First15 - November 4
Weekly Overview:
One of the most scandalous truths of the gospel is that our Creator longs to be encountered by his creation. God longs to meet with us. His greatest desire is for relationship with us. I can’t fathom why God in all his holiness and goodness makes himself available to us, but it is the powerful truth of Scripture. God is pursuing each of us with his relentless love, seeking out those who might respond to his open invitation by opening the door of their hearts to him. My prayer is that in response to God’s desire to meet with his people we would be those who say yes to centering our lives around his nearness. May your week be marked by the reality of God’s presence and love.
Scripture:“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
Devotional:
Of all that God longs to reveal to us, his children, he most desires that we would simply come to know him. Of all the great mysteries, truths, plans, and longings of his heart, he most desires that we would find all our satisfaction, joy, and purpose in relationship. Jeremiah 9:23-24 describes this profound desire in the heart of God. Scripture says,
Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.
What greater knowledge is there than that of God? What greater pursuit exists than knowing the heart of our Creator, the God who would lay down his life to make himself available to us? You and I can know God in deeper, more transformative ways than we can know anyone else. Through the blood of Christ, God has made himself more available and nearer to us than we have yet to discover.
Psalm 46:10 is a powerful and incredible command of the Lord. Our heavenly Father says to us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In a world wrought with the hectic chaos of task after task, God says to us, “Be still and simply know me.” In a world founded on the principles of earn and receive, God has an open invitation before us to know him apart from any merit of our own. We can know God simply because he desires to be known. We can know God simply because he loves us right now, as we are.
More than God desires any work of our hands or any gifting he could place within us, he wants us to know him. So often we get caught up in the works of the kingdom and forget that our chief purpose in life is simply to be enjoyed by God and to enjoy him in return. This life is meant to be about relationship above all else. It’s meant to be about continually encountering the heart of our heavenly Father that we so often live without.
Out of all that we know, may we know God himself the best. Out of all the knowledge and wisdom we can gain from Scripture, may our highest pursuit be a true, intimate knowledge of its Author. Out of all the earth-shattering works set before us, may we know the God whom we serve. And at the end of our days, may our lives have been chiefly marked by a true, passionate, intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on the availability of knowing God. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to know God above all else.
“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
2. What pursuits are higher in your life than knowing your heavenly Father? What is a higher priority to you than simply having relationship with God? Take an honest look at your heart, time, actions, and perspectives.
3. Ask the Lord to help you be someone who is simply enjoyed by him and enjoys him. Ask him to help you cast aside all other pursuits that aren’t in line with this chief pursuit. Make space and time to “Be still, and know that [he] is God” (Psalm 46:10).
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
Recentering our lives around relationship with God is a process in which God has total patience and grace. He knows that you will only center your life around that which you chiefly enjoy. He knows it takes time for him to become your chief joy. But this is most definitely the highest, most important process you can pursue. When he becomes your chief joy, all other aspects of life find their proper place. When he becomes your chief joy, your emotions will no longer be subject to the fickle, fleeting things of the world, but rather grounded in the unshakable, unchanging nature of your heavenly Father. May you offer your whole heart to God today that you might fully enjoy him. May his love and presence be the foundation of your life. And may you seek relationship with him above all else.
Extended Reading: Psalm 46
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